THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WERE CLEAR: PORT OF ENTRY TO SHANGHAI AND MULTIMODAL CENTER, THE NEW STATION WILL EXPRESS DYNAMISM, ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP, CULTURAL AND FINANCIAL, THE CREATIVITY AND THE “AVANT-GARSMISM OF THE MEGALOPOLIS. AREP HAS TAKEN UP THE CHALLENGE.

47000 m2 of plant floors and 60000 m2 of roof surface, three years of study and more to build the station of Shanghai-South, emblematic location of the energy of this megalopolis and of the future of mobility.

A Dynamic Circle
The Shanghai Station revolutionizes the articulation between the rail and road modes of transportation. An automobile viaduct contours the station creating a dynamic circle of ramps. There is absolute fluidity. It It is a « zero correspondence» station, as the Chinese say. From atop the six levels, the eye stares down at the main square and the waiting areas. The functions and the paths become immediately intelligible, from the automobile ramp to the trains. Urban buses, regional and national, subway, taxis and particular vehicles converge towards this multimodal center, on of the main and key ANIMATION centers of the city, with all of its services and commerce.

A light in the night
At the interior, a direct light source delineates the travelers’ paths. Every space is lit by a rigorously ordered grid of bulbs. The roof marks the station’s architectural signature. Monumental with its 60000 m2 of surface, it is simple and elegant thanks to its lighting. At night, the lamps directed towards the roof transform the station into a powerful and luminous post.

Being Chinese in China
To part from the functional model of the Chinese stations to invent an avant-garde location where the modes of transportation and the populations brew, that is Arep’s task. In the Chinese cosmogony, “the circle of the sky hangs over the earth’s square”: the dynamic circle of ramps that hovers above the static square housing the waiting areas is inspired by this image.

A MONUMENTAL STATION
A TECHNICAL FEAT
Each beam conforming the structure measures 120 meters in length and weighs 160 tons. Built in six pieces by a local naval yard, they were melted on site and brought up by a rotating bridge.

Arep accompanies big urban and architectural projects worldwide.

A conceptualizer of movement

Franchise of SNCF attached to the Gares & Connexions branch, Arep has realized more than 200 projects in fifteen countries since its inception in 1997. Office of multidisciplinary studies and research laboratory focusing on environments of mobility, Arep conceives of its projects bearing in mind two precise ideas. In first place, the quality of use, absolute priority. Then, each project must resonate well with a territory, a society, and an epoch. The Lagared’Avignon TGV station and the financial tour of Chi Minh-Ville serve as examples.

PERSONAL SUMMARY
Professional and talented translator with over four years of experience and a proven ability to deal with complex source documents. Fully aware of the importance of preserving idiomatic structure and meaning. Flexible in the ability to adapt to project challenges and particularities.